Method and system of listing items

ABSTRACT

Described herein are a method and a system to suggest information for one or more items offered for sale by sellers in a network-based market place. One or more keywords associated with an item to be listed may be received from a seller. The one or more keywords may be used to search for matching information stored in a database. The matching information may be presented to the seller to be selected. When the seller modifies the suggested matching information, the modified version of the matching information may be stored in the database.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityunder to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/965,188, filed on Dec. 27,2007 which application is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD

The disclosed subject matter relates generally to the technical field ofdata processing and, in one example embodiment, to a system to listitems in an electronic publishing and/or sales system.

BACKGROUND

Information items may be offered for sale using Internet web sites. Theitems may be offered for sale in an auction-format or in afixed-price-format. There may be many items. Potential sellers may visitthe web sites and list items that they may be interested in selling.Some sellers may be occasional sellers and may only a few items to sell.Other sellers may sell hundreds or thousands of items. These sellers maybe referred to as power sellers. It may be advantageous to provide alisting system to enable a seller to quickly list an item, especiallywhen the listing process may be repeated many times.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in thefigures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicatesimilar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system diagram that may be used, inaccordance with some example embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram showing multiple marketplaceapplications that may be provided as part of a network-basedmarketplace, in accordance with some example embodiments.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example entity-relationship diagram, illustratingvarious tables that may be used, in accordance to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 3B illustrates examples of a keywords table and a descriptiontable, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3C illustrates examples of relationships among entries in akeywords table and entries in a description table, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 3D illustrates examples of keywords that may be provided by aseller and matching information that may be found and suggested by thelisting suggestion applications, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an example block diagram that illustrates listing suggestionapplications, in accordance with some example embodiments.

FIG. 5 is an example block diagram that illustrates various possibleinteractions among the different marketplace applications, in accordancewith some example embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process that may be used to implement themethods described, in accordance with some example embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process that may be used to search formatching information, in accordance with some example embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an interface that may be used to suggest information,in accordance with some example embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example diagram of a representation of a machinein the example form of a computer system that may be used, in accordancewith some example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one example embodiment, a method and a system includesusing one or more keywords to suggest information that may be used tolist an item in an online system. The suggested information may beretrieved from a database.

Other features will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and fromthe detailed description that follows. In the following description, forpurposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments. It will beevident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present descriptionmay be practiced without these specific details.

Introduction

Generally, when an item is to be listed for sale in a network-basedmarketplace, the seller of the item may need to provide descriptioninformation, title information, price information, shipping information,and so on. These may be referred to collectively as information. Whenthe seller has multiple items to be listed for sale, the process ofproviding the information can be tedious. In some example embodiments ofthe present invention, it is noted that similar items may be offered forsale by multiple sellers at various times, and the information providedby these sellers may be similar. The similar information may be storedin a database and may be used to enable the sellers to complete thelisting process in a more efficient manner. In the following examples,although “description information” or the like may be used to refer tothe information that may be suggested to the sellers, it is to beunderstood that title information, price information, shippinginformation, and so on may also be suggested to the sellers.

Platform Architecture

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system diagram that may be used, inaccordance with some example embodiments. System 100 may include anetwork and may be implemented using client-server architecture. Acommerce platform, in the example form of a network-based marketplace150, may provide server-side functionality, via network 110 (e.g., theInternet) to one or more clients. FIG. 1 illustrates, for example, a webclient 105 (e.g., a browser, such as the Internet Explorer® browserdeveloped by Microsoft® Corporation of Redmond, Wash.), and aprogrammatic client 110 executing on respective client machines 115 and120.

The network-based marketplace 150 may include an application programinterface (API) server 155 and a web server 160. The concept of API isknown to one skilled in the art. The API server 155 and the web server160 may be coupled to one or more application servers 165. The APIserver 155 and the web server 160 may provide programmatic and webinterfaces to the one or more application servers 165. The applicationservers 165 may host one or more marketplace applications 170 and one ormore payment applications 175. The application servers 165 may becoupled to one or more database servers 180 that facilitate access toinformation stored in one or more databases 185.

For some example embodiments, the marketplace applications 170 mayprovide a number of marketplace functions and services to users thataccess the network-based marketplace 150. The payment applications 175may provide a number of payment services and functions to the users. Thepayment applications 175 may allow the users to quantify and accumulatevalue (e.g., in a commercial currency, such as the U.S. dollar, or aproprietary currency, such as “points”) in accounts, and then later toredeem the accumulated value for products (e.g., goods or services) thatare made available via the marketplace applications 170.

In the current example, the marketplace applications 170 and the paymentapplications 175 are shown in FIG. 1 to both form part of thenetwork-based marketplace 150. It will be appreciated that, inalternative example embodiments, the payment applications 175 may formpart of a payment service that is separate and distinct from thenetwork-based marketplace 150.

In the current example, the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 employsclient-server architecture. It will be appreciated that the exampleembodiments are of course not limited to such architecture and couldequally well find applications in a distributed or peer-to-peerarchitecture. The marketplace applications 170 and payment applications175 may also be implemented as standalone software programs, which donot necessarily have networking capabilities.

The web client 105 may access services and functions provided by themarketplace applications 170 and the payment applications 175 via theweb interface supported by the web server 160. Similarly, theprogrammatic client 110 may access services and functions provided bythe marketplace applications 170 and the payment applications 175 viathe programmatic interface provided by the API server 155. Theprogrammatic client 110 may, for example, be a seller application (e.g.,the TurboLister application developed by eBay Inc., of San Jose, Calif.)to enable sellers to author and manage listings on the network-basedmarketplace 150 in an off-line manner and to perform batch-modecommunications between the programmatic client 110 and the network-basedmarketplace 150.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a third party application 130, executing on athird party server machine 125, as having programmatic access to thenetwork-based marketplace 150 via the programmatic interface provided bythe API server 155. For example, the third party application 130 may,utilizing information retrieved from the network-based marketplace 150,support one or more features or functions on a website hosted by a thirdparty, referred to as a third party website. The third party websitemay, for example, provide one or more promotional, marketplace orpayment functions that are supported by the relevant applications of thenetwork-based marketplace 150.

Marketplace Application(s)

FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram showing multiple marketplaceapplications that may be provided as part of a network-basedmarketplace, in accordance with some example embodiments. Thenetwork-based marketplace 150 may include various market placeapplications 200. The marketplace applications 200 may be related to themarketplace applications 170 illustrated in FIG. 1 and may replace themarketplace applications 170 in some example embodiments.

The marketplace applications 200 may provide a number of listing andprice-setting mechanisms whereby a seller may list goods or services forsale, a buyer can express interest in or indicate a desire to purchasesuch goods or services, and a price can be set for a transactionpertaining to the goods or services.

The marketplace applications 200 may include one or more auctionapplications 205 which support auction-format listing and price settingmechanisms (e.g., English, Dutch, Vickrey, Chinese, Double, Reverseauctions, etc.). The various auction applications 205 may also provide anumber of features in support of such auction-format listings, such as areserve price feature whereby a seller may specify a reserve price inconnection with a listing and a proxy-bidding feature whereby a biddermay invoke automated proxy bidding.

The marketplace applications 200 may include one or more fixed-priceapplications 210. The fixed-price applications 210 may supportfixed-price listing formats (e.g., the traditional classifiedadvertisement-type listing or a catalogue listing) and buyout-typelistings. Specifically, buyout-type listings (e.g., including theBuy-It-Now (BIN) technology developed by eBay Inc., of San Jose, Calif.)may be offered in conjunction with an auction-format listing, and allowa buyer to purchase goods or services, which are also being offered forsale via an auction, for a fixed-price that may be higher than thestarting price of the auction.

The marketplace applications 200 may include one or more storeapplications 215. The store applications 215 may allow sellers to grouptheir listings within a “virtual” store, which may be branded andotherwise personalized by and for the sellers. Such a virtual store mayalso offer promotions, incentives and features that are specific andpersonalized to a relevant seller.

The marketplace applications 200 may include one or more clearanceapplications 220 which may support clearance-format listing in aclearance section of the publication/sales system and price settingmechanisms. The various clearance applications 220 may also provide anumber of features in support of such clearance-format listings. Theclearance applications 220 may support fixed-price formats (e.g., thetraditional classified advertisement-type listing or a cataloguelisting) and buyout-type listings. For example, the clearance item maybe bought for a fixed price via instant online payment in the paymentapplication(s) 175.

The items listed in a clearance section may be set at a fixed price bythe seller, in a manner similar to the fixed-price applications 210described above. The fixed price of the item in the clearance sectionmay be reduced over time if the item remains unsold, as designated bythe seller, for example. For example, the price of the item in clearancemay be reduced by a designated percentage or amount after a designatednumber of days have passed. The price of the item in clearance may bereduced multiple times. The price may be reduced until the item is soldor the price of the item reaches a lower limit as defined by the seller,for example. For items that are transferred from the auction section tothe clearance section, the fixed price may be less than at least one ofthe auction listing price and the auction reserve price. The fixed priceof the clearance application(s) 220 may be less than the fixed price ofthe fixed-price application(s) 210, if any. The items listed in theclearance section may be offered for sale for an extended duration, asdefined by the seller for example.

The clearance applications 220 may not be generally offered inconjunction with an auction-format listing. The clearance applications220 may allow a buyer to purchase goods or services for a fixed-pricethat may be priced at or below market value.

The marketplace applications 220 may include one or more reputationapplications 225. The reputation applications 225 may allow parties thattransact utilizing the network-based marketplace 150 to establish,build, and maintain reputations, which may be made available andpublished to potential trading partners. Consider that where, forexample, the network-based marketplace 150 supports person-to-persontrading, users may have no history or other reference informationwhereby the trustworthiness and credibility of potential tradingpartners may be assessed. The reputation applications 225 may allow auser, for example through feedback provided by other transactionpartners, to establish a reputation within the network-based marketplace150 over time. Other potential trading partners may then reference sucha reputation for the purposes of assessing credibility andtrustworthiness.

The marketplace applications 200 may include one or more personalizationapplications 230. The personalization applications 230 may allow usersof the network-based marketplace 150 to personalize various aspects oftheir interactions with the network-based marketplace 150. For example auser may, utilizing an appropriate personalization application(s) 230,create a personalized reference page at which information regardingtransactions to which the user is (or has been) a party may be viewed.Further, a personalization application 230 may enable a user topersonalize listings and other aspects of their interactions with thenetwork-based marketplace 150 and other parties.

For some example embodiments, the marketplace applications 200 mayinclude international application(s) 235. The internationalapplication(s) 235 may be used by the network-based marketplace 150 tosupport a number of marketplaces that are customized for specificgeographic regions. For example, there may be a version of thenetwork-based marketplace 150 customized for the United Kingdom, andthere may be another version of the network-based marketplace 150customized for the United States. Each of these versions may operate asan independent marketplace, or they may be customized (orinternationalized) presentations of a common underlying marketplace.

For some example embodiments, the marketplace application 200 mayinclude navigation applications 240 to facilitate navigating of thenetwork-based marketplace 150. For example, the navigation applications240 may include a search module and a browse module. The search modulemay enable keyword searches of listings published via the network-basedmarketplace 150. The browse module may allow users to browse variouscategory, catalogue, or inventory data structures according to whichlistings may be classified within the network-based marketplace 150.Various other navigation applications modules may be provided tosupplement the search and browse modules.

In order to make listings, available via the network-based marketplace150, as visually informing and attractive as possible, the marketplaceapplications 200 may include one or more imaging applications 245. Usersmay upload images for inclusion within listings. An imaging application245 may also operate to incorporate images within viewed listings. Theimaging applications 245 may also support one or more promotionalfeatures, such as image galleries that are presented to potentialbuyers. For example, sellers may pay an additional fee to have an imageincluded within a gallery of images for promoted items.

For some example embodiments, the marketplace applications 200 mayinclude one or more listing creation applications 250. The listingcreation applications 250 may allow sellers conveniently to authorlistings pertaining to goods or services that they wish to transact viathe network-based marketplace 150. As will be described in more details,the listing creation applications 250 may include modules that enablesuggestions of item descriptions, in some example embodiments.

For some example embodiments, the marketplace applications 200 mayinclude listing management applications 255 to allow sellers to managesuch goods or services listings. Specifically, where a particular sellerhas authored and/or published a large number of listings, the managementof such listings may present a challenge. The listing managementapplications 255 may provide a number of features (e.g., auto-relisting,inventory level monitors, etc.) to assist the seller in managing suchlistings.

One or more post-listing management applications 260 also assist sellerswith a number of activities that typically occurs post-listing. Forexample, upon completion of an auction facilitated by one or moreauction applications 205, a seller may wish to leave feedback regardinga particular buyer. To this end, a post-listing management application260 may provide an interface to one or more reputation applications 225,so as to allow the seller conveniently to provide feedback regardingmultiple buyers to the reputation applications 225. As another example,upon completion of an auction where the goods or services has not sold,the item may automatically be relisted in the auction application(s) 205and/or the fixed-price application(s) 210, or the item may beautomatically listed in the clearance application(s) 220.

The marketplace applications 200 may include dispute resolutionapplications 265. The dispute resolution applications 265 providemechanisms whereby disputes arising between transacting parties may beresolved. For example, the dispute resolution applications 265 mayprovide guided procedures whereby the parties are guided through anumber of steps in an attempt to settle a dispute. In the event that thedispute cannot be settled via the guided procedures, the dispute may beescalated to a third party mediator or arbitrator.

The marketplace applications 200 may include fraud preventionapplications 270. A number of fraud prevention applications 270implement various fraud detection and prevention mechanisms to reducethe occurrence of fraud within the network-based marketplace 150.

The marketplace applications 200 may include messaging applications 275.The messaging applications 275 are responsible for the generation anddelivery of messages to users of the network-based marketplace 150. Suchmessages, for example, advise users regarding the status of listings atthe network-based marketplace 150 (e.g., providing “outbid” notices tobidders during an auction process or to provide promotional andmerchandising information to users).

The marketplace applications 200 may include merchandising applications280. The merchandising applications 280 may support variousmerchandising functions that are made available to sellers to enablesellers to increase sales via the network-based marketplace 150. Themerchandising applications 280 also operate the various merchandisingfeatures that may be invoked by sellers, and may monitor and track thesuccess of merchandising strategies employed by sellers.

The network-based marketplace 150 itself, or one or more parties thattransact via the network-based marketplace 150, may operate loyaltyprograms that are supported by one or more loyalty/promotionsapplications 285. For example, a buyer may earn loyalty or promotionspoints for each transaction established and/or concluded with aparticular seller, and may be offered a reward for which accumulatedloyalty points can be redeemed.

The marketplace applications 200 may include items watch listapplications 290. The items watch list applications 290 may supportvarious functions related to watching for items made available by theauction applications 205, the fixed price applications 210, theclearance applications 220, and any other applications that may makeavailable merchandises and/or services so that they can be purchased bythe buyers via the network-based marketplace 150. The items watch listapplications 290 may provide various functions including functions thatenable the buyers to watch, monitor, keep track, rank, provide notes,and highlight one or more items that the buyers may be interested inbuying.

The marketplace applications 200 may include listing suggestionapplications 295. The listing suggestion applications 295 may suggestinformation that may be used by a seller to list an item. The listingsuggestion applications 295 may supplement or replace various functionsperformed by the listing creation applications 250. Alternatively, thelisting suggestion applications 295 may provide functions independent ofthe functions performed by the listing creation applications 250. Forexample, the listing suggestion applications 295 may fully or partiallyautomate certain listing creation functions normally performed by thelisting creation applications 250.

Even though the context of this description is with regard tomarketplace applications, it is to be understood by those of skill inthe art that the described subject matter may also be applicable toother types of applications for various types of transactions. Thetransactions may include those between a single seller and a singlebuyer or may include those between a single seller and multiple buyers,and may include selling a catalog-type product, or even a more uniqueproduct. It may also be noted that although the description may refer toa seller or a buyer in commerce or marketplace environments, certainaspects of the description may also be applicable to non-commerceenvironments.

Data Structures

FIG. 3A illustrates an example entity-relationship diagram, illustratingvarious tables that may be used, in accordance to some exampleembodiments. Tables 300 may be maintained in the databases 185 and maybe utilized by and may support the marketplace applications 170 and thepayment applications 175 (illustrated in FIG. 1).

The tables 300 may include a user table 301. The user table 301 maycontain a record for each registered user of the network-basedmarketplace 150. The user table 301 may also include identifier, addressand financial instrument information pertaining to each such registereduser. A user may operate as a seller, a buyer, or both, within thenetwork-based marketplace 150. In an example embodiment, a buyer may bea user that has accumulated value (e.g., commercial or proprietarycurrency), and is then able to exchange the accumulated value for itemsthat are offered for sale by the network-based marketplace 150.

The tables 300 may also include an items table 305 in which aremaintained item records for goods and services that are available to be,or have been, transacted via the network-based marketplace 150. Eachitem record within the items table 305 may furthermore be linked to oneor more user records within the user table 301, so as to associate aseller and one or more actual or potential buyers with each item record.

The tables 300 may include a transaction table 340. The transactiontable 340 may contain a record for each transaction (e.g., a purchasetransaction) pertaining to items for which records exist within theitems table 305.

The tables 300 may include an order table 345. The order table 345 maybe populated with order records, each order record being associated withan order. Each order may be associated with one or more transactions forwhich records may exist within the transactions table 340.

The tables 300 may include a bids table 310. Bid records within the bidstable 310 each relate to a bid received at the network-based marketplace150 in connection with an auction-format listing supported by theauction application(s) 205.

The tables 300 may include a feedback table 330. The feedback table 330may be utilized by one or more reputation applications 225, in someexample embodiments, to construct and maintain reputation informationconcerning users.

The tables 300 may include a history table 335. The history table 335may maintain a history of transactions to which a user has been a party.

The tables 300 may include one or more attributes tables 325. Theattributes tables 325 may record attribute information pertaining toitems for which records exist within the items table 305. Considering asingle example of such an attribute, the attributes tables 325 mayindicate a currency attribute associated with a particular item. Thecurrency attribute may identify the currency of a price for the relevantitem as specified by a seller.

Family table 320 and user-currency table 315 may be used to supportrelated products and multiple currencies in transactions.

The tables 300 may include items watch list tables 350. The items watchlist tables 350 may include information pertaining to items for whichthe buyers may be interested in but may not yet be ready to engage intoa transaction with the seller of the item. For example, the buyer may beshopping for a similar time but want to wait for a better price,quality, etc. In these situations, the buyer may select an option (e.g.,watch this item selection) to place information associated with the iteminto a list of items to watch (also referred to as a watch list).

The tables 300 may include keywords tables 355. The keywords tables 355may include keywords that may be used to describe an item to be listed.

The tables 300 may include description tables 360. The descriptiontables 360 may include descriptions that may be used to describe anitem. The keywords tables 355 and the description tables 360 may also beused to suggest information that may be used by a seller to list anitem.

FIG. 3B illustrates examples of a keywords table and a descriptiontable, in accordance with some embodiments. In this example, thekeywords table 355 may include two fields, keyword identification field370 and keyword field 375. For some example embodiments, each of thevalues of the keyword identification field 370 may be unique. For someother example embodiments, each of the values of the keyword field 375may be a single word or a phrase containing two or more words. Forexample, a keyword in the keyword field 375 may be “apple”, or it may be“brand new”, as illustrated with the keywords table 355. Each pair ofkeyword identification and its corresponding keyword (e.g., “1” and“Nike”) may be referred to as a record. In the current example, thekeywords table 355 may include eight records.

The description table 360 may include two fields, descriptionidentification field 385 and description field 390. For some exampleembodiments, each of the values of the description identification field385 may be unique. For some other example embodiments, a value of thedescription field 390 may be one or more of a single word, a phrasecontaining two or more words, a sentence, multiple sentences, aparagraph, multiple paragraphs, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) link,images, and prices. For example, an item description may be written inHTML to use different formatting and inclusions of links and images.When an image is used, the image may be tagged with keywords and may besuggested. When a price is used, the price may include shipping costs,start price, etc. Each pair of description identification anddescription (e.g., “2” and “Red Nike Basketball sneakers”) may bereferred to as a record. In the current example, the description table360 may include ten records.

FIG. 3C illustrates examples of relationships among entries in thekeywords table 355 and entries in the description table 360, inaccordance with some embodiments. For some example embodiments, thekeywords in the keyword field 375 may be related to the descriptions inthe description field 390 in one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, andmany-to-many relationships. For example, the keyword “Nike” in thekeyword field 375 may be related to two descriptions in the descriptionfield 390 in a one-to-many relationship. This is illustrated in FIG. 3Cby the two arrows originating from the keyword “Nike”. Similarly, thekeyword “IPod” in the keyword field 375 may be related to onedescription in the description field 390 in a one-to-one relationship.

It may be noted that each description in the description field 390 maybe related to one or more keywords. For example, the description “Nikevolleyball sneakers, size 8” may be related to three keywords “Nike”,“Sneaker”, and “Size”. In the current example, each description in thedescription field 390 includes a number in parentheses to illustrate thenumber of relationships with the keywords in the keyword field 375. Forexample, the description “Dell laptop Latitude brand new” is related totwo keywords “Dell” and “Brand New”. Other relationship examples arealso illustrated in FIG. 3C.

For some example embodiments, the listing suggestion applications 295may be configured to recognize keywords that may be similar in context.For example, when the keyword “Apple” is provided, the listingsuggestion applications 295 may consider it to be similar to “IPhone”which is a product manufactured and sold by Apple Corporation ofCupertino, Calif. Thus, when the keyword “Apple” is provided, thedescription that includes the keyword “IPhone” may be suggested eventhough that description may not include the keyword “Apple”. For someexample embodiments, the similarities of keywords may includesimilarities in meaning, context, etc.

For some example embodiments, a seller may provide one or more keywordsassociated with an item and, responsive to receiving the one or morekeywords, the listing suggestion applications 295 may suggestinformation that may be used by the seller to list the item. Theinformation may include description information as described in theexample description table 360 in FIG. 3B. For some example embodiments,each description may be associated with a title, and the listingsuggestion applications 295 may also suggest one or more of titleinformation, price information, image information, shipping information,and so on. For example, the title information may be stored in a titlefield of the description table 360.

FIG. 3D illustrates examples of keywords that may be provided by aseller and matching information that may be found and suggested by thelisting suggestion applications 295, in accordance with someembodiments. In this example, the left column under “Keyword” includeskeyword combinations of one or more keywords, while the right columnunder “Matching Description” includes one or more matching descriptionsthat correspond to the keyword combinations in the left column. When thekeyword “Nike” 391 is provided by a seller, there may be two matchingdescriptions in the right column.

Each matching description in the right column in this example includes anumber in parentheses to illustrate a number of keyword(s) (illustratedunderlined) corresponding to the keywords in the left column. When thekeywords “Nike” and “Sneaker” 392 are provided, there are two matchingdescriptions. Note that the first matching description includes two (2)keywords “Nike” and “Sneakers”, whereas the second matching descriptiononly includes one (1) keyword “Nike”. When the keywords “Used”, “good”and “IPod” 397 are provided, there are three matching descriptions. Thefirst matching description includes three (3) keywords “IPod”, “used”and “good”; the second matching description includes two (2) keywords“Used” and “good”; the third matching description includes one (1)keyword “used”. Other keyword combination examples are included in FIG.3D to illustrate one to multiple matching descriptions.

It may be noted that the matching descriptions may include one or moresentences.

Listing Suggestion Applications

FIG. 4 is an example block diagram that illustrates listing suggestionapplications, in accordance with some example embodiments. The listingsuggestion applications 410 may be part of the marketplace applications405 which, in turn, may be included in the application servers 400. Theapplication servers 400, the marketplace applications 405, and thelisting suggestion applications 410 may be related to the applicationservers 165 (illustrated in FIG. 1), the marketplace applications 170(illustrated in FIG. 1) and 200 (illustrated in FIG. 2), and the listingcreation applications 250 (illustrated in FIG. 2), respectively, and mayreplace them in certain environments.

Referring to FIG. 4, for some example embodiments, the listingsuggestion applications 410 may include description suggestion module415, listing suggestion interface module 420, keywords matching module430, and description database update module 435. Together, these modulesmay enable a seller to more efficiently create a listing usinginformation that may be stored in a database (e.g., database 185). Itmay be noted that the listing suggestion application 410 may alsoinclude other modules to suggest title information, price information,shipping information, and so on.

The listing suggestion interface module 420 may cause an interface to bepresented to the seller. The interface may be presented using a webbrowser or any other presentation techniques. For some exampleembodiments, the interface may include a title input area and adescription input area. The interface may also include a keyword inputarea. Other input areas may also be presented by the listing suggestioninterface module 420. For example, there may be a price input area, animage input/upload area, a shipping information input area, and so on.

Keywords and Description Matchings

A seller may provide one or more keywords using the keyword input area.For some example embodiments, when the seller finishes providing thekeywords in the keyword input area, the seller may press a soft key orbutton (e.g., “Suggest”) to start getting the suggestions. Thesuggestions may include a title suggestion and a description suggestion.The title suggestion and the description suggestion may be presented inthe respective input areas. For some example embodiments, a minimumnumber of keywords may be required before the title and/or thedescription suggestions are presented.

For some example embodiments, multiple descriptions may be suggested,and the user may need to select one description. For example, the usermay select a description that either best describes the item or adescription that needs minor modification by the seller.

The keywords matching module 430 may be used to search for matchingdescriptions using the keywords provided by the seller. The keywordstable 355 and/or the description table 360 may be used. The keywordsmatching module 430 may be coupled to the listing suggestion interfacemodule 420. The keywords may be provided by the seller via the keywordinput area.

The description suggestion module 415 may be used to suggest a matchingdescription based on the keywords provided by the seller. Thedescription suggestion module 415 may be coupled with the keywordsmatching module 430 and the listing suggestion interface module 420. Thematching description suggested by the description suggestion module 415may be displayed in the description input area. The descriptionsuggestion module 415 may also suggest a title to be displayed in thetitle input area. The description suggestion module 415 may also suggestother information (price, shipping, etc.) to the seller.

Ranking of Matching Descriptions

For some example embodiments, when there are multiple matchingdescriptions, the description suggestion module 415 may evaluate eachmatching description and may present only a subset of the matchingdescriptions to the user. An algorithm may be used to perform theevaluation to determine the subset. The algorithm may include rankingthe matching descriptions based on the number of keywords included ineach matching description. For example, a matching description thatincludes all five keywords entered by the user may be ranked higher (andmay be more likely to be selected by the seller) than a matchingdescription that includes four of the five keywords.

For some example embodiments, a weighted value algorithm may be used torank the matching descriptions. Each keyword may be associated with aweighted value according to an order that they are entered in thekeyword input area by the seller. For example, when there is only onekeyword that keyword is associated with 100% of the weighted value; whenthere are two keywords, the first keyword may be associated with 60% ofthe weighted value and the second keyword may be associated with 40% ofthe weighted value; when there are three keywords, the order may be 55%,30%, and 15%, as long as they add up to 100% of the weighted value.Using the three keywords example, a matching description that includesthe first keyword may be ranked higher than a matching description thatincludes the second and third keywords. Other weighted value algorithmsmay also be used to rank the matching descriptions. For example, oneweighted value algorithm may be based on a frequency of use of thekeywords provided by the sellers.

Self-Learning Database

Database update module 435 may be used to update the keywords table 355and the description table 360. The database update module 435 may beassociated with the listing suggestion interface module 420. The listingsuggestion interface module 420 may suggest one or more of a title, adescription, price information and shipping information. It may bepossible that the seller may modify the information suggested by thelisting suggestion interface module 420. For example, it may be possiblethat the seller may not like the matching description, the title, theprice and/or the shipping information suggested by the descriptionsuggestion module 415 and may modify or provide something completelydifferent. For some example embodiments, the database update module 435may insert the new or modified information (e.g., description, title,price, shipping information) into the description table 460. For someexample embodiments, the database update module 435 may also update thekeywords table 355 if one or more of the keywords entered by the sellerdo not exist in the keywords table 355. Thus, the databases 185 may“learn” more keywords and descriptions over time and may eventually beable to suggest matching descriptions that may need minor or nomodification from the sellers.

FIG. 5 is an example block diagram that illustrates various possibleinteractions among the different marketplace applications, in accordancewith some example embodiments. The modules included in the listingsuggestion applications 410 illustrated in FIG. 5 may be similar to themodules illustrated in FIG. 4. When the seller is satisfied with thedescription of the item, the seller may need to determine how the itemmay be listed. For some example embodiments, the item may be listedusing a fixed price approach or it may be listed using an auctionapproach. The user/seller may also need to determine if the item is tobe listed in a regular category, a clearance category, or some othercategories. As illustrated, the listing suggestion applications 410 maybe coupled with the auction applications 205, the fixed-priceapplications 210, the clearance applications 220, and the listingcreation applications 250. Other applications 505 may also be coupledwith the listing suggestion applications 410.

For some example embodiments, some operations of one or more modules inthe listing suggestion applications may be combined or integrated withanother module. For some example embodiments, the listing suggestionapplications 410 may be coupled to other applications included in themarketplace applications 405 to enable the seller to list the item.

Process

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process that may be used to implement themethods described, in accordance with some example embodiments. Theprocess may be performed by applications within the network-basedmarketplace 150. The applications may be the listing suggestionapplications 410 described with the examples in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Theprocess may be performed in response to an action performed by a seller.The process may start at block 605. At block 610, one or more keywordsmay be received via an interface. The keywords may be provided by aseller. The interface may be generated by the listing suggestioninterface module 420. At block 615, the keywords received may be used tosearch for matching descriptions stored in a database. The database mayinclude a keywords table and a description table as described in theexample in FIG. 3B.

At block 620, it is determined whether one or more matching descriptionsare found. For some example embodiments, the process of finding matchingdescriptions may include determining if a particular keyword may befound in the keywords table. When the keyword is found, the process maythen determine the descriptions in the description table that includesthe keyword. In some situations, there may be multiple matchingdescriptions. As more keywords are provided by the seller, the number ofdescriptions that include all of the keywords may decrease.

From block 620, if one or more matching descriptions are found, theprocess may continue to block 640 where the one or more matchingdescriptions may be presented to the user/seller. The seller may selectone matching description. As described earlier, the one or more matchingdescriptions may be presented to the seller in a particular order. Itmay be possible that the seller may select a matching description thatthe ranking algorithm may suggest as the best matching description. Itmay be possible that the seller may select a matching description thatis different from the one that the ranking algorithm suggests as thebest matching description.

At block 645, it is determined whether the seller modifies the selectedmatching description. If modification is made, the process may continueto block 630 where the description table may be updated to include themodified version of the matching description. At block 635, the modifieddescription in the description table may be associated with the keywordsreceived from the seller. The process may end at block 650.

From block 645, if the matching description selected by the seller isnot modified, the process may end at block 650.

From block 620, if no matching description is found in the descriptiontable, the process may continue to block 625 where the seller may berequired to enter a new description. The process may then continue toblock 630 described above. It may be noted when the keywords receivedfrom the seller are not found in the keywords table 355, these keywordsmay be inserted into the keywords table 355. Similarly, when there is anew description or a modified matching description, that description maybe inserted into the description table.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process that may be used to search formatching information, in accordance with some example embodiments. Theprocess may be related to the operations performed in block 620illustrated in FIG. 6. The process may be used after the seller finishesentering all the keywords. For example, the search may start after theseller enters three keywords and then presses the “enter” key. Theprocess may start at block 705. At block 710, the number of keywordsreceived from the seller is determined. At block 715, the first keywordmay be used to search for the matching descriptions. At block 720, it isdetermined if all of the keywords have been used to find the matchingdescriptions. If there is still more keywords to process, the operationsperformed in block 715 may be repeated in block 725 for the nextkeyword. These operations may continue until all of the keywords areprocessed, at which time the process may then continue to block 730.

At block 730, the ranking algorithm may rank the matching descriptions.For some example embodiments, the ranking algorithm may rank thematching descriptions based on the number of keywords included in eachof the matching descriptions. For some example embodiments, the rankingmay be based on keyword weight or other weight techniques. The matchingdescriptions may then be presented to the seller as described in block640 of FIG. 6. The process of FIG. 7 may end at block 735.

For some example embodiments, operations associated with the listingsuggestion applications 410 (e.g., suggestion interface, keywordsmatching, description suggestion, database update, etc.) may be writtenusing a combination of one or more technologies that include, forexample, Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language (DHTML), AsynchronousJavaScript and XML (AJAX), FLASH™, HTML, Flex, Active X, Java applettechnologies.

User Interface

FIG. 8 illustrates an interface that may be used to suggest information,in accordance with some example embodiments. Interface 800 may includekeyword input area 805 to accept one or more keywords provided by theseller. The keywords may also be referred to generally as tags. Theremay be rules that the seller needs to follow to provide the keywords.Some rule examples are provided in a first informational display area815. In this example, the seller may press the “Suggest!” button 810 tostart getting the suggestions. The title suggestion may be presented inthe title input area 820. The description suggestion may be presented inthe description input area 825. Additional information may be presentedto the seller using a second informational display area 830. Althoughnot shown, the interface 800 may include other options to enable theseller to complete the process of listing the item.

Computer System

FIG. 9 illustrates an example diagram of a representation of a machinein the example form of a computer system that may be used, in accordancewith some example embodiments. Set of instructions, for causing themachine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussedherein, may be executed. In alternative embodiments, the machineoperates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate inthe capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine may be a server computer, a clientcomputer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), aPersonal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance,a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executinga set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions tobe taken by that machine. Further, while a single machine isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include anycollection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (ormultiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein.

In the current example, computer system 900 may include a processor 902(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit(GPU), or both), a main memory 904 and a static memory 906, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 908. The computer system 900 mayfurther include a video display unit 910 (e.g., liquid crystals display(LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 900 alsoincludes an input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device914 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 916, a signal generation device918 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 920.

The disk drive unit 916 includes a machine-readable medium 922 on whichis stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 924)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein. The instructions 924 may also reside, completely or at leastpartially, within the main memory 904, the static memory 906, and/orwithin the processor 902 during execution thereof by the computer system900. The main memory 904 and the processor 902 also may constitutemachine-readable media.

The instructions 924 may further be transmitted or received over anetwork 926 via the network interface device 920.

Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of variousembodiments broadly include a variety of electronic and computersystems. Some embodiments implement functions in two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals communicated between and through the modules, or as portions ofan application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, the example system isapplicable to software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

In example embodiments, a computer system (e.g., a standalone, client orserver computer system) configured by an application may constitute a“module” that is configured and operates to perform certain operationsas described herein below. In other embodiments, the “module” may beimplemented mechanically or electronically. For example, a module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., within a special-purpose processor) to perform certainoperations. A module may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry(e.g., as encompassed within a general-purpose processor or otherprogrammable processor) that is temporarily configured by software toperform certain operations. It will be appreciated that the decision toimplement a module mechanically, in the dedicated and permanentlyconfigured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g.configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.Accordingly, the term “module” should be understood to encompass atangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed,permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily configured(e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner and/or to performcertain operations described herein.

While the machine-readable medium 922 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present description. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to,solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media.

As noted, the software may be transmitted over a network using atransmission medium. The term “transmission medium” shall be taken toinclude any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carryinginstructions for transmission to and execution by the machine, andincludes digital or analog communications signal or other intangiblemedium to facilitate transmission and communication of such software.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure.

It may be appreciated that FIGS. 1-9 are merely representational and maynot be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may be exaggerated,while others may be minimized. Accordingly, the specification anddrawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.74(b) to allow thereader to quickly ascertain the nature and gist of the technicaldisclosure. The Abstract is submitted with the understanding that itwill not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims.

In the foregoing description, various features are grouped together in asingle embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. Thismethod of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intentionthat the claimed embodiments have more features than are expresslyrecited in each claim. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporatedinto the description, with each claim standing on its own as a separateembodiment.

Thus, a method and system to suggest one or more of descriptioninformation, title information, price information, and shippinginformation of items to be listed in an online commerce system and/orauction based system have been described. Although embodiments have beendescribed with reference to specific example embodiments, it will beevident that various modifications and changes may be made to theseembodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope ofembodiments as expressed in the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method of suggestinginformation, comprising: receiving one or more keywords associated withan item to be listed in a network-based commerce system or auctionsystem; responsive to receiving the keywords, searching for matchinginformation using the keywords, the information stored in a database;when the matching information is found, suggesting the matchinginformation to be used for the item; and if the matching information isselected and modified to generate a modified information, storing themodified information in the database.